Sustaining Places Bruce A. Knight FAICP President American Planning Association

Our Mission: The American Planning Association provides leadership in the development of vital communities by advocating excellence in community planning, promoting education and citizen empowerment, and providing the tools and support necessary to effect positive change.

Climate Change and Sustainability

Planning Climate Change Issue August/September 2007 Policy Guide on Planning and Climate Change April 2008 Delta Urbanism – Living in Wet Environments, multi-part initiative Dutch Dialogues

Climate Change and Sustainability EPA 430-R April

Worldwide Focus  AquaTerra: Amsterdam, Netherlands  5 th World Water Forum: Istanbul, Turkey  APA International Symposium: New Orleans, USA

What Can Planners Add? Comprehensive viewpoints Prioritizing people: safety and livability Commitment to equity and inclusive planning processes Long range thinking: development with planning Vision and Leadership

APA’s Sustaining Places Initiative

Sustaining Places Task Force Examining how sustainability can be incorporated into Comprehensive Plans

Sustaining Places Task Force – Draft Report Outline 1.Introduction to “Sustaining Places” 2.Sustainability in Cities and Regions 3.The Comprehensive Plan 4.Sustaining Places with the Comprehensive Plan 5.Sustaining the Plan (Implementation) 6.Best Practices – Planning for Sustaining Places 7.Conclusions and Recommendations

Sustaining Places Initiative Includes a wide range of activities : Rebuilding America National Centers for Planning Supertopic Federal Policy and Program Briefing Conference Track Magazine Issue Blog and Social Media Sustaining Places Task Force on the Comprehensive Plan Sustaining Places Day APA Federal Policy & Program Briefing Washington, D.C. September 26-28, 2010

APA National Infrastructure Investment Task Force

REBUILDING AMERICA 10 Key Recommendations 1.Create a New National Vision 2.Reconnect Planning & Infrastructure Investment 3.Recognize the connection between land use patterns and the sustainability of infrastructure 4.Promote a Regional Framework for Strategic Investment in Infrastructure 5.Take a Life Cycle Approach and promote research to better understand

6.Encourage Integrated Planning & Coordinated Investment 7.Planners lead a collaboration across disciplines. 8.Create a ‘Place Based’ and ‘Place Making’ Focus in Investment and Policy 9.Focus Sustainability in Comprehensive Planning 10.Provide New Training, Capacity Building, and Education for Decision-Makers REBUILDING AMERICA 10 Key Recommendations

Engagement of Rebuilding America with other Design Professions Policy Advocacy Recommendations in APA’s Sustaining Places Initiative More information on the Rebuilding America National Infrastructure Task Force Initiative is available on the APA website: REBUILDING AMERICA Next Steps:

APA National Centers for Planning: Hazards Planning Research Center Green Communities Research Center Planning and Community Health Research Center

Priority Issues Reducing the impact of development on the natural environment Improving environmental quality for residents Green Communities Research Center

Topics  Sustainable design and green building  Climate change, clean energy, and energy efficiency  Urban parks, greenways, and urban forestry  Wetlands, source water protection, and watershed management  Habitat protection and biodiversity  Riparian corridors and natural stormwater systems

Green Communities Research Center Current Projects  Strategies for Wind Energy Implementation  Wildlife Habitat Protection

Project: Planning for a New Energy and Climate Future In partnership with the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) Project Information Database Call for Case Studies Report Resources Climate Change Reader

Planners Energy and Climate Change Database

APA Energy and Climate Change Resources Energy and Climate Resources: APA Policy Guide on Climate Change (pdf) APA Policy Guide on Energy Planning Advisory Service (PAS): QuickNotes 13: Climate Change and Energy (pdf) Essential Info Packet 18: Planning and Zoning for Renewable Energy (pdf) PAS Memo - January/February 2009: Integrating Energy and Climate into Planning PAS Memo - March/April 2006: The Role of Planning in the New Energy Era

Climate Change Reader - Online

Six Cautions on Sustainability

Beware of fads and embed sustainability in basic practices.

What’s our evidence base?

Do we have shared values?

Garbage in, garbage Out.

Are our solutions scaled to the magnitude of the problem?

Vested interests.

Conclusion… It is time for Planners to step up and lead in this movement. We need to hone our leadership skills We need to reinvent our plans to meet the demands of new challenges Planners should act to establish collaborative efforts among all the design professions APA is a key link to making this happen